So, I'm thinking about dipping a toe or maybe my foots into the Martin pool. Admittedly I'm not schooled on what I'm looking for other than to say I don't have the longest fingers (hey hey, I have big feet now) and I like smaller body guitars.

In summary, what thoughts might one have with respect to a good Martin, small body, cut away (acoustic/electric, or not)?

I'm guessing someone might be wondering what a price point might be. Let me give a range of $1,500-2,500 for starters.

Thanks for any input you might have. I'm just starting the hunt.

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powerpopguy wrote:

warm places theory sounds plausible. Occasionally, I wake up and think my snake is missing too, but it turns out it's just a chilly morning.

Interesting! I kinda want to ask what it is that draws you to Martin. Because usually it's something along the lines of I play bluegrass and want a dreadnaught that sounds like a cannon, but clearly that's not what you're going for.

I have played a couple of the smaller body Martins, and I wasn't as impressed with them "pound for pound" as either 1) the typical Martin dreadnaught or 2) small bodied guitars in the same price range by other manufacturers. BUT that is a limited sample size.

Interested to hear what other folks say, and more about what you're interested in, John!

I have a few Martins (5) all of them are spectacular guitars. I have played several cutaway Martins and they are not spectacular. Good, but not spectacular. For a small body guitar without a cutaway I would highly recommend the 000-15SM (https://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/15 ... /000-15sm/) - this is my gigging acoustic. 12 fret, open peg head, all mahogany, all the boom of a Martin in a small package. If you don't like mahogany tops, there's the 16 series, of which this one is comparable: https://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/16 ... /000-16gt/.

Martin is building very high quality guitars today, and even if the sound of some models is not to my taste (approaching the flat freq response of a Taylor) there is plenty of Martin left in the lineup!

Thanks for all the suggestions guys but Morgan nailed it. I mean, it’s a 45% price drop. My wife has informed me in the past that is considered a killer sale

SJ, the reason I want a Martin may not be the greatest reason per se but I want to get to know one which I never have. I want to own one, play it, hear it and hopefully bond with it. History maybe? Hype? Dunno. I have a Taylor 214e which I love but I want something different. Great question and I wrestled with your question before knowing full well there are some great guitars out there.

Bob, the mahogany is gorgeous. Not opposed to that look at all.

Jeff, I figured that was the case. I have to spend a bit much to reach that next level of quality...I hope!

Mike, the link is freezing up but I am in a crappy hotel with crappy WiFi so I will check those out.

By the way, I love the sound of a dreadnought. The problem for me is I end up fighting the guitar a bit. It is 100% my skill level not being there but I will get there one day and end up owning one just not now.

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powerpopguy wrote:

warm places theory sounds plausible. Occasionally, I wake up and think my snake is missing too, but it turns out it's just a chilly morning.

Maybe yes, for Martin construction. Taylor does the cutaway incredibly well. I have a 514C that is a Venetian cutaway and it is spectacular, even though as a rule, the Taylor sound is not my thing. Has to do with the mahogany sides and cedar top I bet!

Maybe yes, for Martin construction. Taylor does the cutaway incredibly well. I have a 514C that is a Venetian cutaway and it is spectacular, even though as a rule, the Taylor sound is not my thing. Has to do with the mahogany sides and cedar top I bet!

Ditto my Breedlove concert sized guitar with a cedar top, which will be in the B/S/T soon. It sounds amazing, better than the same guitar with no cutaway. I think some manufacturers came into the game assuming their guitars would have cutaways more often than not, and they designed accordingly.

I'm not picky about almost everything in life *except* acoustic guitar tone. I am an admitted (and proud) Martin snob My '74 D-28 is not the best sounding Martin I have (that would be my newer D-18) but it's the one that is closest to my heart.

BTW, people say Martin dreadnoughts are hard to record. Poppycock! One Neumann KM-184 6-9 inches from the twelfth fret and you have the acoustic tone from heaven.

For what it's worth, I've never owned a Martin but I own two Larrivees, and they are a tremendous value considering the design, wood quality and construction. Jean Larrivee's pedigree is impressive as well, his past apprentices include famous luthiers like Grit Laskin and Linda Manzer. I see them pop up on CL locally for around 50-70% of new list price, and even at full price it's a huge value in comparison to Martin, dollar-for-dollar. I own an L-03R and an L-03E, and both are fantastic (the rosewood one is hands-down the best sounding acoustic I have ever played). I have a student that owns around 6 Larrivees (all CL scores), and all were very impressive. They make an OM body style, if you want that classic Martin look.

Larivee makes great guitars, no doubt! I'm always puzzled by their lack of resale value - such a high quality instrument!

Ha, once again I say: ditto Breedlove. Such great bang for the buck on the used market. Sucks to be on the seller end of that equation at the moment!

Breedloves tend to hold their value here in Oregon a little better. I think the players in the know are a little more savvy since they originated in central OR, and had been around as a small operation for a while before they started being recognized by the wider guitar world. Still an awesome value, I have a student that owns one of their higher end instruments and it plays like a sports car!

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